Scenario: office party

It’s loud. It’s crowded. You’re tired and overwhelmed. Noa suggests you go for a brief mindful walk. “The movement can be calming and will help you reconnect with yourself."

"This works because when you drop attention down into your body and away from your thoughts of being overwhelmed, you ground and center yourself,” she explains.

As you walk, take a few deep breaths and let go of thoughts of the party and people. Massage any tense areas in your body and do a few stretches to loosen up.

“Dropping attention into our bodies in a supportive, nurturing kind of way can promote feel-good hormones to help you feel more comfortable. It can also free your brain to think more clearly,” says Noa.

Scenario: family gathering

You feel: Defensive

Family gatherings can be stressful, especially when there’s unresolved tension, but remember compassion - for yourself and your family.

“Pause to use self-supportive touch, such as placing a hand or even just a couple of fingers on your chest or over your heart. This can be a tangible reminder of compassion that you can direct as you choose. Assisted by the release of oxytocin through touch, which ignites feelings of nurturing and care, you can be reminded to take care of yourself. You might even feel inclined to extend kindness and care to others too because oxytocin also inspires this,” explains Noa.

Scenario: you over-indulged

There’s food everywhere!? It’s hard not to overindulge. And if you did, you need to let the feelings of guilt and shame go.

“Feelings of shame, self-criticism, inadequacy and guilt can have the same effect on us as trauma. They can cause us to freeze up inside.

This can make us really anxious or we can succumb to feeling down, helpless and hopeless. The effect on our brains is to cut us off from our ability to see a bigger picture and to access higher-level thinking like rationality, creativity and insight,” says Noa.

Basically, you start to feel stuck when you dwell on the negative. Best way to get past this? Exercise.

“Moving our bodies gets oxygen and blood flowing to wake up and energise body and mind. Make time for a walk, run, swim, cycle, yoga class or whatever you prefer. This can build your sense of personal strength with a boost of feel-good motivation. Reaching out to someone who cares for support and to talk some sense into you can also help.”

Scenario: activity overload

You feel: Exhausted

You’re run down and out of touch with yourself from all the socialising and attending to others’ needs. To combat this, take some time out for yourself.